Disclaimer: I own nothing Bones related except my imagination.

A/N: This is a multi-chapter fic I've been playing with that I told myself I'd start posting if we got season 11. We got season 11, so here's chapter 1.

"I'm with someone Bones. And, uh Hannah, she's not a consolation prize. I love her." As Brennan started to cry, he continued regretfully "You know, the last thing I want to do is hurt you, but those are the facts."

"I understand. I missed my chance. My whole world turned upside down. I can adjust."

"I did."

"Yes, you did."

She did it. After all these years, she finally did it.

Brennan stood just inside the front door of her apartment soaking wet, rivulets of rain water still running down her jacket and forming small puddles on the floor at her feet. She let her head fall back and bang against the door as the tears were now streaming freely down her cheeks. God, she had barely slept in days and she was exhausted. She couldn't recall ever feeling pain quite like this. How can an emotion, something that ephemeral and intangible cause so much physical pain? She wasn't sure how long she stood there like that before her legs finally gave out and she slid down the door falling to the floor just like her unchecked tears.

She'd finally admitted to Booth that she loved him . . . that she regretted not taking that chance on them a year ago that he'd wanted to take. And Booth? Booth told her it was too late – he'd moved on and was happy in his relationship with Hannah. His answer didn't surprise her – any other response wouldn't have been consistent with the type of man he is, the type of man who gives himself fully and freely to those he's involved with, the type of man she loves so intensely. But, it still hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.

However, buried underneath the pain and the nearly overwhelming sense of loneliness, there was also a slight sense of relief. No more hiding. No more denial. The truth was out there now so there was no longer any need for her to always pretend that she didn't feel anything more than friendship for Booth. She'd have to find a way to let him go, really let him go this time, so that she could begin to heal and move on herself, like she told him she would. But in the meantime, sharing the truth about how she feels for him was liberating to a degree. Now, she didn't have to worry that he'd see through her carefully crafted façade to her inner emotions when he caught her looking at him. Now, she wouldn't have to force a smile to her face when she caught him sharing a kiss with Hannah. Now, she could say "no" if he asked something of her that was too painful for her heart to handle.

She'd pretended for years that she wasn't crazy in love with the man, she wasn't going to pretend getting over him would be easy.

It wouldn't be.

Booth parked his truck out on the street in front of his apartment, turned off the engine, and just sat there, ignoring the discomfort of his wet clothing and looking at the window to his apartment above where Hannah waited.

Hannah.

The woman he loved and who loved him back. They were happy together, damn it. But he couldn't shake the memory of the expression on Bone's face when she told him she regretted not taking that chance with him and he told her she was too late; or the vision of her kneeling in the rain in the middle of the road with a car barreling towards her which had scared the crap out of him.

He could still hear her voice telling him she'd be fine alone when he offered to call someone to be with her. Alone. She'd said it with such finality . . . Alone. He could hear Cam's voice echoing in the back of his mind from a conversation they'd had a long time ago. "If you crack that shell . . . and you change your mind, she'll die of loneliness before she'll ever trust anyone ever again." Bones was alone and she was hurting and he knew there was nothing he could do to help her and it was tearing him up inside. Just because he wasn't in love with her anymore didn't mean she wasn't still one of the most important people in his life and he hated seeing her hurt.

He wasn't even sure how real her feelings were. On one hand, it was Bones, right? She didn't say things that she didn't mean. On the other hand, it had been obvious to everyone that this latest case had really done a number on her psyche. She'd barely eaten and barely slept and was clearly exhausted and confused. Did she really mean what she had said earlier that night? Or was she still just reacting to whatever parallels her mind had drawn between her life and the life of Lauren Eames? Booth didn't doubt that she had regrets about what happened with them that night in front of the Hoover – he did too. What he doubted was whether or not she would truly do anything differently if given the chance.

There was no way he could go into his apartment right now, still reeling from Bone's confession, and crawl into bed with Hannah. He wanted to. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and feel her wrap her arms around him and hear her telling him she loved him . . . reminding him that what they had together was real. He wanted to get lost in her body until nothing else mattered and the images of possibilities with Bones that were haunting him were vanquished. But that wouldn't be fair to Hannah because he was reacting to emotions riled up by Bones, not emotions inspired by Hannah.

Booth spent almost two more hours sitting outside his apartment in his truck while his mind spun in circles. He didn't go into the apartment until he was certain Hannah would be asleep. Then, he quietly slipped into a fresh t-shirt and boxers and crawled in to Parker's bed to sleep, needing a little time and space to himself to deal with all the emotional specters the night had released.

A/N: Intrigued enough for more?